Daniel Mastretta, Maker of Mexico's First Sports Car: 'You Can Begin in Small Niches'

In a dubious attempt at humor in January, the producers of the BBC TV show Top Gear, which reaches millions worldwide, used some offensive language to describe the Mastretta MXT, the first sports car made and designed in Mexico. “Cars reflect the characteristics of nations, and Mexicans are lazy, irresponsible and flatulent,” the program asserted.
Although the show caused many Mexicans to become indignant, visits to the web site of Mastretta Tecnoidea spiked, providing an enormous, unexpected benefit to the family-owned company, which has been in the transportation sector for almost 25 years. Customers have ordered half of the firm’s 2011 production in advance.
Comparable to the Lotus Elise, the British-made two-seater, the MXT has a 250-horsepower engine and reaches 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in less than five seconds. At an average cost of $56,000, it will be on highways before the end of the year.
Universia Knowledge@Wharton spoke with Daniel Mastretta, co-founder, technical director and chief designer of the company, about the challenges of pursuing a niche market such as sports cars and the lessons the company has learned along the way.

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